MITHI: The outbreak of diseases and malnutrition were continuing to play havoc with the lives of newborns and minor children in drought-hit Thar as three more children died in Islamkot and Mithi on Tuesday, sources told Dawn.

Six-month-old Harish and five-month-old Allah Wasayo died in Rural Health Centre Islamkot while a minor child, Mukesh Kumar, died in Civil Hospital Mithi raising death toll to 433 of the year, according to unofficial reports.

However, health officials told Dawn on Tuesday that over the past seven months 289 children had died in hospitals of Tharparkar and 465 were referred to Hyderabad and Karachi for further treatment.

When district health officer of Tharparkar Dr Chandar Lal was asked about this, he was not sure about the survival of those referred, adding he had already directed civil surgeon of Mithi Civil Hospital Dr Mohammad Iqbal Bhurgari to contact officials of those hospitals and report him about exact figures.

The DHO said since January 1 this year 63,582 children suffering from various diseases were brought to six health facilities of the district for treatment and 6,353 were admitted and treated.

Speaking to Dawn, many parents with their sick children in Mithi, Islamkot, Diplo and Chhachhro towns’ hospitals, complained about callous and indifferent attitude of doctors and paramedics and lack of facilities in hospitals.

They said that officials at the Mithi Civil Hospital were forcing them to take their children to Hyderabad without providing fuel to ambulances.

They urged the newly elected Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Health Minister Dr Sikender Ali Mandhro to take notice of the continued protests by the area people in this regard.

It is pertinent to mention that according to unofficial reports, over 433 children had died in hospitals and before reaching any health facilities this year.

The CEO of the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS), Dr Shaikh Tanweer Ahmed, told Dawn that there was an urgent need for taking prompt action to save children and expectant mothers in Thar, which this year too had not received sufficient rains and was bracing itself for yet another worst drought in the region

He said women in Thar were facing the worst food crisis, which ultimately resulted in deaths of newborns.

“There is an urgent need to provide quality food to pregnant women in the region.”

Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-N in Thar held the provincial government responsible for the ‘mess’ created in Thar due to alleged indifferent and callous attitude towards the genuine problems facing Thar for decades.

Dr Vankwani claimed that still dozens of dispensaries and health units in the remote villages were lying nonoperational.

He asked the chief minister of Sindh to form a board comprising elected members from Thar to visit the whole Thar and make a comprehensive report on the health crisis.

Deputy commissioner of Tharpar­kar Dr Shahzad Tahir Thaheem said 10th phase of wheat distribution was almost completed and that the government was trying its utmost to provide basic health facilities to Tharis.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2016